Forgetting the Past
by Chikaru-kun
Summary: After Nagisa is pulled out of school, Shizuma and Tamao are left devastated. Miyuki tries to comfort Shizuma and Chiyo and Tamao find a new friendship. ShizumaMiyuki
1. Intro

Forgetting the past.

It was shortly after the Etoile Elections when Nagisa was called home regarding personal matters. She'd been pulled out of the school, leaving Shizuma in full possession of the 'Etoile' title. Shizuma, after finally forgetting about Kaori, was crushed. She then requested her own room, forcing Miyuki to move elsewhere. Once again, she confined herself to her room and sparsely paid any attention to her duties as the Etoile. Miyuki did all she could to coax Shizuma out of her funk, but her attempts were useless.

"Shizuma! Shizuma!" Miyuki rapped on the door. "Why won't you let me talk to you? Shizuma!"

"Leave me alone." Shizuma's voice came out in such a soft whisper, Miyuki almost didn't hear it. Shizuma was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. She hadn't bothered to turn on the lights this morning, let alone change out of her nightgown. She refused to let anyone in, locking the door the moment she stepped back into her dorm every afternoon. This morning, she decided not to go to class. The almost sudden loss of her Nagisa-chan was unbearable. For the past week, everyone noticed the depressing, even icy air that hung around her.

Knocking at the door one final time, Miyuki turned away. Straightening up, she grasped her bag and headed off to class. Upon opening the door to the Moon class, she walked to Nagisa's desk. A few other Miator students were gossiping here and there before class started. As she sat down, her gaze fell to the girl who occupied the seat next to it. _Tamao-chan looks so alone... _Miyuki let her thoughts wonder before getting up and moving toward her blue haired classmate.

"Tamao-chan." She offered a small, apologetic smile.

With a small sigh she looked up to meet the eyes of an upperclassman. "Hm. Ohayo gozaimasu (good day) Miyuki-san." A small flush crept upon her cheeks. "Gomen. I was lost in thought."

Miyuki nodded. "We all miss Nagisa-chan. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm afraid you're taking it better then Etoile-sama." She reached over and placed a hand on Tamao's arm. "You can still send her letters, right?" A faint smile seemed to lighten up Tamao's face ever so slightly.

"Arigato." With that, the teacher entered the room and the students returned to their seats, leaving Miyuki to rush to her own class.

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The lunch bell rang and the students gathered in the cafeteria. Miyuki caught a glimpse of Tamao eating alone as she made her way to the vending machine. She pressed the keypad for a bottle of green tea and briskly made her way to Shizuma's room. Beforehand, she happened to grab some of her lunch and hid it in her pocket, food wasn't allowed outside of the cafeteria.

Miyuki knocked once on the door and spoke, "Shizuma, I brought you tea and some melonbread." After waiting for a response, she set the bottle and snack outside of her door and left.

When she was sure Miyuki had left, Shizuma got up and opened the door slightly, peering through the crack to see if anyone was there. _Empty_, she mumbled to herself. She stepped outside and took the food, whispering "Arigato, Miyuki-chan," before returning back inside.

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The rest of the day passed by quite slowly, but Miyuki noticed Tamao rushing off as soon as class was finished. After returning to her room, she remembered that she was supposed to give Shizuma her assingments she'd missed. Setting down her pencil, she found the extra papers and made haste to slip them under Shizuma's door, not even bothering to talk this time. Tomorrow though, there was a student board meeting. The Etoile _had_ to come, right?


	2. The Messenger Club

The Messenger Club.

After Miyuki mentioned writing letters, Tamao had a great idea. Right after class, she ran to the Lulim dorm in hopes to try and find Chikaru, Remon, Kizune and Kagome. Luckily, Tamao was able to spot three of the four waiting by the entrance to the Transformation Club. They were waiting for Chikaru, she guessed and all seemed to have a messenger bag, including Kagome's bear, Oshibaru.

"Ohayo!" Tamao called as she approached the group with a small wave.

"Tamao-chan..." Kagome's soft voice was first to reach the girl's ears. "Oshibaru says 'Ohayo'."

Tamao smiled and pet the stuffed bear on the head as Remon and Kizune greeted her in unison. "Ohayo, Tamao-chan!" They offered genuine smiles and a few giggles before Remon asked, "What brings you here?"

"I have an idea I'd like you to hear. Is it okay if I wait with you guys here for Chikaru-chan?"

The three of them nodded before Remon piped up again. "We have something we'd like to...Ah! Chikaru-san!!" She placed a hand to the side of her mouth and called to the pink-clad figure walking their way with a box overflowing with what looked like clothes.

Chikaru pumped a fist in the air and exclaimed, "Ohayo everyone! Sorry I'm late!" She let out a small sigh as she opened the door to the Transformation club and set the heavy box down on a desk. "So, Tamao-chan, what brings you to..." She ran over to the blackboard and spun it around, revealing the words MESSENGER CLUB! in white chalk.

"Messenger club?" She questioned. "Well, before class, Miyuki reminded me that we can still send letters to Nagisa-chan!" As soon as she finished, Kizune burst out giggling. "Nani? You don't have to make fun of me!" Tamao frowned and pouted innocently.

"No, it's not that," Kizune explained, "We started the Messenger Club so we could all write letters and send them to Nagisa! We can send them around to the Hikari-chan and Yaya-chan also. We were planning on asking Chiyo-chan if she'd tell you after school."

"Chiyo-chan?"

Chikaru nodded and smiled. "Baka(idiot) Tamao-chan! That's why I was late, I had to tell Chiyo-chan at the library."

"Ahhhhhhhh...baka, baka, baka!" She groaned, embarrassed that they thought of it before her. "So, Chikaru-chan, what are the costumes? Mail men?"

She stuck her tongue out playfully, "Nope, mail girls, baka."

"Ayaaa, onegai(please), stop with the 'baka' this and 'baka' that." Tamao rolled her eyes as Chikaru pulled out four costumes. Remon and Kizune hurried off to get dressed while Kagome put a cute hat on Oshibaru.

"Ne, Tamao-chan, would you like to try on a costume? I made enough so the six of us could all dress up. I just left Chiyo-chan's with her since she couldn't come."

"Could I?" Tamao couldn't help but squeal and pull Chikaru in a hug. "Arigato!"

Chikaru just smiled and nodded, rifling through the box. First, she pulled out a white cap, along with a cute white messenger bag. "Aha." She mumbled holding up a dress in one hand and a pair of boots in the other. The dresses were a light blue in colour, that pouffed out with layers under the waist. The neckline was in a mild square shape and the dress itself had been hemmed just before the knees. White lace hung off of the bottom of the dress and decorated the edge of the short sleeves. The boots were white, with blue ribbon for the laces.

"Chikaru-chan! Did you really make these yourself? They're gorgeous!' She smiled and pretended to take pictures as Remon and Kizune came out, modeling the fantastically adorable costumes. After a few fake pictures, the gang settled down in the club to discuss how they'd deliver a letter or card of sorts around the dorms.

"Well, we know the six of us are going to sign it, so that's easy to arrange." Kizune put a finger to her chin in a thinking pose.

"Hai, but what about Hikari-chan, Yaya-chan and Tsubomi-chan?" Remon sighed, none of the three had been to the Transformation Club.

"Hmm, what's that Oshibaru?" Kagome raised the stuffed bear to her ear and a small smile played upon her face. "Oshibaru has an idea. Tell them" After a few seconds, Kagome nodded to her bear. "I know... Oshibaru says we could give it to Chiyo-chan."

"Ah! What a great idea! We can make the card and we'll sign it, then pass it on to Chiyo-chan, she's bound to run into one of them." Tamao was already thinking about what she'd write _My dear Nagisa-chan... _But then Chikaru shook her head, holding up a finger.

"Tea party." At once, Tamao understood what she was talking about. When Nagisa was still at Astrea Hill, Tamao, Nagisa, Hikari, Tsubomi, Chiyo, and Yaya-chan used to have tea parties after dark. The memories brought a small frown to Tamao's face as she remembered her beloved Nagisa-chan. Though Nagisa hadn't passed, it still left Tamao with an empty feeling in her heart. Snapping back to reality, Tamao nodded in agreement.

"But what about...Etoile-sama?" Remon had asked the dreaded question, and with the mention of _her_ name, Tamao couldn't help but feel a spark of anger. "They say she's been depressed and hat she didn't come to class today. Is it true?"

Tamao nodded solemnly and stood up. "Well, ja ne(later)! I'll take Chiyo-chan's costume with me. Chikaru, will we meet again on Friday?" Everyone exchanged glances and nodded at the idea before bidding Tamao good-bye.

Soon, Tamao was in front of the library doors. Prying the open, she walked to the desk. "Chiyo-chan? It's getting late. Will you come with me back to our dorms?" She smiled warmly to the first year.

"Oh, hai, Tamao-san. One moment." She faced the Spica student approaching and proceeded to check out her books. When she was finished, Chiyo grabbed her bag and jacket, meeting Tamao outside the doors. "How was the meeting Tamao-san?"

Tamao pulled out a folded dress and handed her the boots that she was carrying under her arm. "Chikaru made us the most wonderful costumes! Would you mind holding mine? Aya, I can't wait to put it on. We're meeting on Friday to go around campus and ask people to sing Nagisa's card. Also, we're having a tea party with Hikari-chan."

Chiyo smiled. "Arigato. But I thought we weren't allowed anymore?" She couldn't help but giggle. They were going to do it anyways and she was going to be included. As they walked back to thier dorms, they talked and laughed about the plans for the rest of the week.


	3. The Meeting

**Thanks for the alerts, please R&R. I'll try to update once week or so!**

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The Meeting

It was Tuesday and most everyone had headed down to class already, leaving Miyuki to resume pounding on Shizuma's door. There was a student council meeting today, Shizuma had to come. Miyuki already had to beg Sister Hamasaka regarding Shizuma skipping class. If she lied and said Shizuma was sick, most certainly they'd send a doctor. So, Miyuki had managed to persuade Sister to let Shizuma stay in her room until Thursday, then she'd have to attend classes or face punishment.

Miyuki stood by the door and explained this to Shizuma, hoping for some kind of acknowledgment.

Once again, Shizuma's soft voice floated through the door and pierced Miyuki's heart. "Miyuki, onegai, cover for me in the council meeting." Those were the only words she offered. It wasn't the words that made Miyuki feel a twang of guilt in her heart, but the way they were spoken. The tone of a beggar, sad and lonely. How she wished Shizuma would let her in, to let Miyuki comfort her, so things could return to the way things were.

Miyuki nodded, not caring if the girl behind the door couldn't see. Right now, she understood and she couldn't let Shizuma down. Their relationship may have seemed like a mother-child one, but inside Miyuki didn't mind Shizuma's immature behavior. Quickly, she ducked back into her room to grab her bag and started down the hall to get to class.

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That morning, the classes were extremely uninteresting. Miyuki's mind kept wondering to Shizuma, to their past, their present and everything she could remember about her relationship with Shizuma in general. After the first half-hour, her teacher began to notice and caught her lost in thought, this embarrassing Miyuki for the rest of the morning.

When lunch came round, Miyuki managed to sneak a bowl of ramen up to Shizuma's room. She probably hadn't eaten much since the weekend, so it was becoming routine to bring Shizuma lunch or snacks without even thinking. By the time she reached the other's room, the ramen was half warm. Knocking once she spoke, "Shizuma, I brought you ramen. It's a bit cool now, but it's all I could do." Then, without warning, the door opened, causing Miyuki to step back.

Shizuma's harsh eyes were now soft and her features seemed to glow in the dark of her room. Quietly she reached for the bowl and placed it on her desk, returning to trade a solemn glance with Miyuki. "Arigato," she spoke, before closing the door.

Miyuki, now relived that Shizuma was OK, returned to the lunch room in hopes of getting something for herself to eat.

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It was decided that, considering Chikaru had a student council meeting after school, Kizune, Remon, Kagome, Chiyo and Tamao would all meet in the library to work on the plans for Nagisa's card.

"Well, I asked Mizuho-sama if she could let us use the cooking room to bake a few pastries." Chiyo suggested. The five girls were gathered in a corner of the library and were bouncing ideas off of each other on what to send Nagisa.

"Ne, we're still doing a card, right?" Kizune looked a bit confused as she sat on the floor next to Remon.

Tamao nodded, "Of course. But, I think we shouldn't pass the card around. Nagisa probably won't know half of the girls who sign it."

"But how will those girls even know who she is?" Asked Chiyo. Tamao, recalling the first day when Nagisa came, began to giggle. She's really made a spectacle of herself and girls from all over knew rumors about her relationship with the Etoile. After telling this to Chiyo, the first grader blushed. Nagisa and Shizuma really were considered the two most desirable people of Miator.

Minutes passed and ideas were rejected, accepted, tweaked, so on and so fourth. Kagome had fallen asleep whilst reading a book to Oshibaru, causing everyone to giggle before resuming. Before long, it was decided. Tamao would make a card tomorrow and everyone would sign it at the tea party they were to hold Friday night. On Thursday, all six of them would bake treats, accompanied by Mizushima-sama, of course. They wouldn't be warm by the time Nagisa received them, but they would send for same-day delivery in hope that they'd still be fresh.

"Knowing Nagisa-chan," Tamao pipped up before everyone was getting ready to leave, "she'd eat them no matter what." With a last round of giggles and waves, Chiyo and Tamao headed back to Miator.

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As usual, Chikaru sat back in her chair as Shion began arguing with Miyuki once more. After a few meetings, she began to control her urge to burst out giggling. "So tedious..." She mumbled under her breath. These meeting were quite funny, it was surprising how they managed to get anything done at all. Today though, Miyuki's mind was somewhere else. Physically she was spewing out arguments, but her normal sense of right wasn't behind her words today. Chikaru figured something like this would happen sooner or later. Miyuki may have tried to hide it, but Shizuma's attitude clearly irked her.

As soon as the meeting was over, Miyuki grabbed her things and left. Not long after she'd started down the corridor, Shion appeared and stopped to question her. "Rokujou-sama, where was the Etoile today?" A visible smirk was playing upon her lips. She just couldn't leave Miyuki alone, could she?

With a sigh, Miyuki reluctantly answered. "You know perfectly well why Shizuma wasn't here, Toumori-chan." Her last words oozed a fake sweetness as she briskly walked past, offering a small "Ja," as she did so.

**Ayaaaaa!! Sorry this chapter stinks. Writers block. -- I'll make the next one better, I promise! R&R please, all comments welcome! 3**


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